Indoor unit for air conditioner

Abstract

An air-conditioner indoor unit (10) is configured to be capable of changing the direction of an airflow that is blown out through a blow-out port (15). The air-conditioner indoor unit (10) includes a control unit (40) that switches between a normal mode and a wide mode. The control unit (40) switches to the wide mode when an air conditioning load is higher than a predetermined value and extends at least vertically a range that is to be reached by the airflow in an air-conditioning target space in the wide mode compared with the normal mode.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An indoor unit for an air conditioner, the indoor unit being configured to be installed in an air-conditioning target space and to be capable of changing a direction of an airflow that is blown out through a blow-out port, the indoor unit comprising:
 a heat exchanger; 
 a fan; and 
 a wind direction regulator, wherein 
 the fan and the wind direction regulator are configured to selectively function in a normal mode and a wide mode, 
 wherein, in the wide mode, an air conditioning load is higher than a predetermined value and at least vertically a range that is to be reached by the airflow in the air-conditioning target space in the wide mode is extended compared with the normal mode, and 
 wherein, in the wide mode,
 when a range of 1600 mm high from a floor surface at a position away from the blow-out port by any distance within a range of 1000 mm to 2000 mm on a front side is set as a reference height range, and among three ranges obtained by equally dividing the reference height range into three in a height direction, the range positioned on an upper side is set as a first range, the range positioned on a lower side is set as a second range, and the range positioned in a middle is set as a third range, and when the indoor unit for the air conditioner is provided on a side wall in the air-conditioning target space such that a center of the blow-out port is at a position of 2000 mm above from the floor surface, 
 an average wind velocity in the first range and an average wind velocity in the second range are substantially equal to each other, and an average wind velocity in the third range is equal to or more than 0.5 times and less than 1.1 times of the average wind velocity in the first range. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 , the indoor unit further wherein:
 the fan is configured to take in air from the air-conditioning target space and blow out the air into the air-conditioning target space, and 
 a number of rotations of the fan is higher in the wide mode compared with before the wide mode is started. 
 
     
     
       3. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a difference between an intake temperature and a blow-out temperature is reduced in the wide mode compared with the normal mode. 
 
     
     
       4. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein a difference between an intake temperature and a blow-out temperature is reduced in the wide mode compared with the normal mode. 
 
     
     
       5. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the indoor unit resumes the normal mode when the wide mode has been continued for a predetermined period or more during cooling. 
 
     
     
       6. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the indoor unit resumes the normal mode when the wide mode has been continued for a predetermined period or more during cooling. 
 
     
     
       7. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the indoor unit resumes the normal mode when the wide mode has been continued for a predetermined period or more during cooling. 
 
     
     
       8. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the indoor unit selectively operates in the normal mode and the wide mode based on presence/absence of a person inside and outside of a range that is to be reached by the airflow of the wide mode in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       9. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the indoor unit selectively operates in the normal mode and the wide mode based on presence/absence of a person inside and outside of a range that is to be reached by the airflow of the wide mode in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       10. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the indoor unit selectively operates in the normal mode and the wide mode based on presence/absence of a person inside and outside of a range that is to be reached by the airflow of the wide mode in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       11. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the indoor unit selectively operates in the normal mode and the wide mode based on presence/absence of a person inside and outside of a range that is to be reached by the airflow of the wide mode in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       12. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 , the indoor unit wherein:
 the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with air that is taken in from the air-conditioning target space to thereby regulate a temperature of the air, and 
 a temperature of at least a portion of the heat exchanger in the wide mode during cooling is lower than a dew temperature in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       13. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 2 , the indoor unit wherein:
 the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with air that is taken in from the air-conditioning target space to thereby regulate a temperature of the air, and 
 a temperature of at least a portion of the heat exchanger in the wide mode during cooling is lower than a dew temperature in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       14. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 3 , the indoor unit wherein:
 the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with air that is taken in from the air-conditioning target space to thereby regulate a temperature of the air, and 
 a temperature of at least a portion of the heat exchanger in the wide mode during cooling is lower than a dew temperature in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       15. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 5 , the indoor unit wherein:
 the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with air that is taken in from the air-conditioning target space to thereby regulate a temperature of the air, and 
 a temperature of at least a portion of the heat exchanger in the wide mode during cooling is lower than a dew temperature in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       16. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 8 , the indoor unit wherein:
 the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat with air that is taken in from the air-conditioning target space to thereby regulate a temperature of the air, and 
 a temperature of at least a portion of the heat exchanger in the wide mode during cooling is lower than a dew temperature in the air-conditioning target space. 
 
     
     
       17. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the indoor unit is configured such that a blow-out velocity of the airflow varies in the wide mode. 
 
     
     
       18. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the indoor unit is configured such that a blow-out velocity of the airflow varies in the wide mode. 
 
     
     
       19. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the indoor unit is configured to vary a blow-out velocity of the airflow in the wide mode. 
 
     
     
       20. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the indoor unit is configured to vary a blow-out velocity of the airflow in the wide mode.